2 boys - same level guides for 8th grade / High School?

[Starla]

My family has been away from Heart of Dakota this last year for various reasons. I'm looking forward to getting back to it. My 9 year old daughter who has special learning challenges, I took out of HOD for a year to work on basic skills before she tackles Bigger for her fourth grade year. Having done that with my boys years ago, I know what to expect in that guide and think she will be ready for it.

I have two boys who are only 15 months apart. The oldest is highly functioning autistic with some learning challenges as well. He is ABLE to red well, but he just dislikes it. But he is very thorough when he does read and comprehends in an "ok-ish" manner. The younger is a voracious reader and devours most everything. But I think he skims a lot. However, in comprehension questions he seems to do better than his brother and is able to answer quite well. The oldest seems to do science experiments better if he has his younger brother walking through them together with him.

In writing, they both have along ways to go in composition skills. Am hoping to finish up an EIW course with them yet this year. We are hitting that pretty hard. And they seem to be catching on quickly. However, the younger son is able to handle research and writing about a topic easier than the older. They are involved in a co-op where they are required to do research and writing about a topic we are studying, and give a presentation about it to class. This is helping them in their research skills.

My question is in regards to the fall and starting a new school year at that time. They will be ready for ninth and eighth grades. I am THINKING of putting both of them TOGETHER in the Rev. to Rev. guide. I understand there would need to be some beefing up to make it high school worthy for son #1.

How does this sound for scope and sequence for 9th grade this fall for my oldest?
History - Do Rev. to Rev. as written but beef it up to include extension package (my younger son can handle this easily as well) and add a 1/2 credit of government....
Science - Do the advanced but count it as High School Physics
Math - Algebra 2 or Geometry (he is advanced when it comes to math)
Language Arts - Rod and Staff (Grammar)
- Composition - maybe EIW 9th grade or HOD as written (for both of them)
- Literature - DITHOR with grade 9 books and count it as "Intro to Literature"
Electives which I need to figure out yet.

Scope and Sequence for 10th grade
MTMM - to do as written but add a CIVICS course
For science - maybe Biology? I don't know what to do with his science. Probably go to the science that is included in the World History Course?
What would be a good way to go for literature? (Since I'm already doing the "Introduction to Literature" could I still do the 9th grade introduction to Literature that is found in the WG guide?) Or should I be hitting "American Literature" this year?

Scope and Sequence for 11th Grade
World Geography as written
But in science.....the Chemistry that is in World History?)
And literature?

Scope and Sequence for 12th Grade
World History as WRitten
But Science in a field he is interested in
Literature?

For the younger boy, when he starts high school with the MTMM guide and probably is headed towards a field needing a good science major..... Maybe do the science as guided but starting with the WG recommended science? (Because don't know what to do with the science in MTMM to make it high school worthy credit wise - since I want him to be on a solid science track for high school) Which makes me sad, because I really wanted my boys to get the Answers in Genesis Life Origin books. Maybe I will have to go through those books as a tag-on to whatever else they are doing.

I know this is a long post, sorry. But am thinking through scope and sequence for both of my boys through high school. Thank you ahead of time for anyone trying to steer me in a right direction.... Especially in thinking how to make their science and literature credit worthy for High school. High School has a way of scaring me.... I'm so tempted to let someone else school my kids when it comes to High School, but also feel that we really have no other choice but to homeschool them. Am also trusting that God will give the grace to walk it through with me. So much appreciate Heart of Dakota's help in walking them through these schooling years!

[Nealewill]

I have one child whom I know will not finish all of the HOD guides and I have pondered some of these very same thoughts. Most of what I am saying is things that I plan to do with my own child. I am some what improvising and hoping others might weigh in as well to offer you some advice.

For your oldest child in 9th grade using RevtoRev, I would call the advanced exploration education science "Physical Science" and not physics. In reviewing it, I personally don't think it is deep enough for High School Physics. You would probably have to add to it but I think that would wreak havoc on your day because the advanced kit already would take up quite a bit of time. I would also probably have your younger son also take the advanced class as well so that you can call it the same thing on his transcript. In Ohio, I can award high school credit for courses my kids take in 7th and 8th grade as long as another high school class doesn't apply. You can use HOD as is for the literature, grammar and writing. The R&S book does have some grammar but it also has a lot of writing as well. The creative writing course is multi age and most of the pieces that it has the children analyzing are higher level writing pieces (I actually already purchased RevtoRev and have been looking it through in anticipation of next year with my oldest). If you use higher level lit books, you can use DITHOR. I plan to use DITHOR with my son the year that he is in 9th grade. I think adding a 1/2 credit of government for this year would work well for you oldest since he won't do the first American history high school guide.

For the following year in MTMM, I would be incline to add in economics for your oldest or possibly both boys. They are already starting to study basic econ principles in this level. I think the penny candy book is scheduled once a week. I would considering adding in econ in this level and if you needed too, I would drop the penny candy book. As for science, I would be incline to have both boys do the science in MTMM as is and add in the Chemistry 101 DVDs to make it worthy of high school credit. I would do this for two reason. First, for your oldest son, you can count this year as High School Chemistry. You said your younger son is very science minded so I wouldn't count this year as Chemistry for him but have him take the high school chemistry course that HOD offers the following year. That Chemistry course is much more math minded and technical but this year would still be worthy of high school credit. And because you have had the advanced science from RevtoRev and you have taken MTMM one step farther and added in the Chem 101 DVDs, I would be incline to skip the science in WG for both boys. I think doing these two courses in this way would more than prepare your sons for other higher level sciences. As for Lit, Grammar and Writing, I would use DITHOR, R&S and WWTB2 for them. Basically, I would use the HOD plans as closely as possible. Again, these resources are multi age and I think they could definitely count it for high school credit. In addition, if you find that time is short for either of your boys with adding in the econ, I would consider not using the nature study unless your boys are very creative and really want to use it. It looks like a wonderful book but I do know that once you get into MTMM, I think the days do get a bit longer. If push comes to shove with my son's schedule, that will be the one thing that goes. My son HATES art stuff. He does it when I ask him to do it but he doesn't really enjoy it. If push comes to shove, I may have him drop it and complete some of the activities over the following summer.

For the year when you do WG, if you need civics, I would add it in during this year. And I would not necessarily have the boys do the same science this year either. For my son, he will be in 10th grade when he gets to this level. My plan for him is to complete the Chemistry science that is schedule in the first AH guide during this level. My son seems to be very math and science minded. I want to keep Biology with the WH guide since it is matched up with health. I read somewhere that this would be wise to do. With your youngest son, I would consider having him do the Chemistry this year as well. For your oldest son, if he is very science minded, I would consider waiting to see what the final science is that HOD is going to present. I would have him take that science in this guide. I would use all of the language arts that HOD uses in this level as I think they are really great resources and I think they will benefit both of your sons no matter what grade they are when they are using them.

For the World History guide, I would do everything in guide as listed for both boys. This will finish out your older son's high school. And for your younger son, he will just have one more year. The only tweak I plan to make is that my son will need personal finance to graduate in Ohio. Since my son hates art and Ohio only requires a half credit of art, I may let my son choose which art portion he does. So he will do either the drawing part or the art history part. I plan to have my son take personal finance in this level. And to keep a balanced schedule, I plan for him to only earn a 1/2 credit of art. And this level includes Health and Biology. I would have both boys take it at the same time and this would fulfill those courses for their transcripts.

For your younger son, when he gets to the American history guide you can probably do it as schedule with no problem. My son will still need to take economics if I don't have him take it in MTMM. I have gone round and round about it. I don't know that I think he would be mature enough for this topic as a freshman in high school. My plan was to possibly drop the living library in this guide for him and he will get his econ credit during this time period. Again, I hate to drop stuff but I also need a balanced day. As for my son's science credit? I plan to use the science listed in the final HOD guide for him. And for language arts, I plan to use whatever HOD has listed in this guide.

Hopefully some of my thoughts were helpful. I didn't mean for them to be confusing. I struggled initially with my decision of combining my youngest and middle child a bit because I didn't know how high school would really work itself out. After I sat down, prayed about it, mulled over it, and started diving into my plans, I came up with this current game plan to make it all work. At this point, I feel really healthy about my tentative plan. If things change, that is okay. But I wanted some sense of peace before I making any decisions on what I wanted to do. Hopefully this might give you some insight that will help you.

[Starla]

Thank you, Nealewill, for your helpful long reply. I really do appreciate your time and thoughts. In looking at the guides and their first week samples online, I am coming more and more to the conclusion, that I think my soon to be 9th grader may be able to handle the WG year just fine.....without too much hand holding from me. And my 8th grader can definitely do the MtMM. So am thinking of placing them there, so that for high school, they can do the guides as written.... I had originally wanted to do the Rev. to Rev., one because I had last worked through Res. to Ref with my younger son....but that has been over a year ago now. My older son had used a different curriculum that year. Their skills have improved to the point, that maybe I will just bump them up. I am most worried about my 9th grader.... I still have Res. to Ref. with me. I may have him do several weeks out of that one, to see how he handles the load, before I make any final decisions here yet.....
Again, thank you for all your suggestions....and I will continue to look at your post in trying to help me in making a decision here yet.....